Monday night, my 9-year-old daughter asked me to turn down the volume on the TV.  What came next was one of the best Christmas gifts I have ever received.  It wasn't wrapped, it wasn't even intended as a gift, but aren't those the best kind?  

Let me rewind a bit.

On the first day of my youngest daughter's Christmas holiday she was diagnosed with the flu.  She's had a slight fever and an agonizing, almost constant cough.  Of course the flu is highly contagious, so she can't be around folks until she's been without a fever for at least 48 hours.  That meant no attending Christmas church service, which, in turn, kept her from taking part in the children's play.  She was looking forward to being the innkeeper who told Mary and Joseph that there was a place to stay for the night.

So, this has not been a great start to the Christmas break for her.  Monday night, my wife and I decided to have my daughter sleep on the couch in the living room.  I turned the TV to one of the Disney channels in the hope that would keep her mind off the urge to cough.  But, the coughing continued.

After a few minutes, she asked me to turn down the TV.  I thought it was just too loud to allow her to go to sleep.  But she corrected me and uttered these beautiful words, "No, I just want to pray, and the TV is too loud." Now, she prays every night before bedtime, but this was above and beyond that.  This was not a set routine.  She wanted to feel better and she knew exactly to whom to turn.

My kids have won baseball games, brought home straight A's, garnered numerous academic and athletic trophies, but what better gifts can a parent receive than to know that their children understand who Jesus is and the power of prayer.  I don't mean to be too boastful as I know that we are all proud parents.  But on this glorious occasion of Christmas, I couldn't help but share.

Merry Christmas and may God bless you and your family.

 

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